New Z3 1.9 owner

[Smokey]

Hi,

I have recently bought a new toy in the shape of a 1999 Z3 1.9 to play with at the weekends.

I have moved from an early eunos roadster, which I owned for 4 years, but fancied a change (my brother in law has had it off me)

After looking at a few mercedes SLK of the same age/value as my Z3 I came to the conclusion that the Z3 seems far better built - SLKs seem to rust a lot worse than the Z3.

My Z3 seems in good shape having covered nearly 160000 miles, and hopefully will be reliable fun on sunny days, while keeping me busy tidying up a few areas on the rainy ones!

 

[Davyhoogy]

Welcome from Sunderland, where a outs are you?
IMO the z3 is sooooo much better looking than the slk, so you made the right choice there

 

[Paul Rice]

Welcome to the Forum, best place for info on all things Zeddy

 

[Smokey]

I am near Lichfield in Staffordshire

I agree, the Z3 looks more classic than the SLK

I have already sorted a few issues with thanks to info I found on this forum - my driver seat motor wasn't working, which a gentle tap with a hammer sorted out. Also, it overheated on the first long trip I took in it - after fearing the worst I found a suggestion to try bleeding the cooling system, which seems to have done the trick - both cheap fixes (as in free!)

 

[Sean d]

Welcome from Lincs

 

[Bampz]

Hi and welcome from Pembs South Wales, good decision on choice of car you will have fun with the Z3

 

[Grumps]

Hi welcome to the forum from Mansfield.

 

[andyglym]

to the forum from West Cumbria.

 

[Low Rider]

Hello and welcome to Zroadster.org from Worcestershire. Smokey

 

[FRANKIE]

Hi,

I have recently bought a new toy in the shape of a 1999 Z3 1.9 to play with at the weekends.

I have moved from an early eunos roadster, which I owned for 4 years, but fancied a change (my brother in law has had it off me)

After looking at a few mercedes SLK of the same age/value as my Z3 I came to the conclusion that the Z3 seems far better built - SLKs seem to rust a lot worse than the Z3.

My Z3 seems in good shape having covered nearly 160000 miles, and hopefully will be reliable fun on sunny days, while keeping me busy tidying up a few areas on the rainy ones!

Hi, @Smokey and welcome to the forum from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. I owned a '99 SLK Kompressor for several years. It was a very good looking car and never failed to turn heads. Being supercharged, it might have been the fastest 4 cylinder car I ever owned. I loved the feature of the hard top folding down into the trunk (boot). At the same time, I was amazed at the prices the dealership charged for parts and repair. My hardtop convertible folded down into the trunk by the aid of 7 hydraulic cylinders and a pump. Four of the cylinders used a certain kind of internal washer on the shafts that deteriorated because of the hydraulic fluid over a period of time. Two of these cylinders were the main ones to move the top and the other 2 unlocked the top from the windshield. The dealership wanted between $1500 to $2000 to fix it. I bought a kit from e-bay for $24 and fixed it myself over a weekend. The interior paint on things like the glove box and parts of the doors would scratch off if you rubbed it with your fingernail or any hard object. I never saw anything like it. I thought it was just my car but when looking on e-bay pictures of other cars for sale, many had the same problem. How stupid can a car manufacturer be to continue to paint cars in this way? The driver's side kick panels, which are those that are beneath the steering column, are made of the cheapest plastic you can imagine. If you're trying to remove one that's several years old, they just break apart. It just boggles the mind. The Achilles heel of the car is the supercharger. They dont 's last. They are very expensive to buy and replace. I managed to find one purchased by a person who needed one and bought it but whose car was involved in an accident before it could be installed. I got it at a good price. I had first replaced the electric (magnetic) pulley on my unit which cost me $400 for the part only, and to install it and find out it was an electrical part on the pump that caused the damage and it destroyed the new pulley. It took over 2 hours to manuever the pump in and out of the engine compartment. What a nightmare!!
The Z3 is a different animal. It is very well made. No cheap components. It is light years better than the SLK. You have made a good choice purchasing one. Good luck with it and once again, welcome to the forum. Frankie

 

[DavidM]

Welcome from Ireland!

 

[Bazza]

From me

 

[Antm72]

Hi and welcome from me in South Yorkshire

 

[t-tony]

Hi @Smokey and welcome from near Lincoln, great choice of car and the same one I made nearly 7 years ago. I had a Eunos, great little car and fun to drive, same with the Z3 too. I now have a Z4. Same smiles per gallon.

Tony.

 

[Eddie Zedder]

Hello and

 

[ZTec]

Hi @Smokey and welcome from South Wales.

 

[Stevo7682]

Hi and welcome from me another 1.9 owner in Scotland

 

[Synclare]

Welcome from Staffs, you'll have to pop in if around the Kings Bromley / Lichfield area.

 

[Brian H]

Hi and welcome

 

[Smokey]

Hi, @Smokey and welcome to the forum from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. I owned a '99 SLK Kompressor for several years. It was a very good looking car and never failed to turn heads. Being supercharged, it might have been the fastest 4 cylinder car I ever owned. I loved the feature of the hard top folding down into the trunk (boot). At the same time, I was amazed at the prices the dealership charged for parts and repair. My hardtop convertible folded down into the trunk by the aid of 7 hydraulic cylinders and a pump. Four of the cylinders used a certain kind of internal washer on the shafts that deteriorated because of the hydraulic fluid over a period of time. Two of these cylinders were the main ones to move the top and the other 2 unlocked the top from the windshield. The dealership wanted between $1500 to $2000 to fix it. I bought a kit from e-bay for $24 and fixed it myself over a weekend. The interior paint on things like the glove box and parts of the doors would scratch off if you rubbed it with your fingernail or any hard object. I never saw anything like it. I thought it was just my car but when looking on e-bay pictures of other cars for sale, many had the same problem. How stupid can a car manufacturer be to continue to paint cars in this way? The driver's side kick panels, which are those that are beneath the steering column, are made of the cheapest plastic you can imagine. If you're trying to remove one that's several years old, they just break apart. It just boggles the mind. The Achilles heel of the car is the supercharger. They dont 's last. They are very expensive to buy and replace. I managed to find one purchased by a person who needed one and bought it but whose car was involved in an accident before it could be installed. I got it at a good price. I had first replaced the electric (magnetic) pulley on my unit which cost me $400 for the part only, and to install it and find out it was an electrical part on the pump that caused the damage and it destroyed the new pulley. It took over 2 hours to manuever the pump in and out of the engine compartment. What a nightmare!!
The Z3 is a different animal. It is very well made. No cheap components. It is light years better than the SLK. You have made a good choice purchasing one. Good luck with it and once again, welcome to the forum. Frankie

Sounds like I made the right choice then! - the biggest issue on older SLKs in the uk in my opinion is rust! - one I looked at which was described by the seller as having a few 'age related marks' looked like it had gone rusty around the wheel arches and the front wings, been repainted, and then gone rusty again!